Carding machines



Feb. 1965 KUNlo AoKl 3,169,278

CARDING MACHINES Filed Sept. l1, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet l Pfg. 2 27 23 I NVENTOR Kuavlo AOK' ATTORNEY Feb. 16, 1965 KUNIO AOK! CARDING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept.. ll. 1961 lNvN-roR Kun/flo A01 ATTONEY Feb. 16, 1965 KuNlo AoKl CARDIN@ MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. ll, 1961 R O T N E V m Kvrvfe AOK' ATTORNEY Feb. 16, 1965 Kumo AoKl f 3,169,278

CARDING MACHINES Filed Sept. l1, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 iNvENroR KUNH, AOK: BY

ATTORNEY Feb. 16, 1965 KuNlo AoKl CARDING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 1l, 1961 INVENTR Ku N l 0 A o ATTRN EY United States Patent O 3,l6,278 CARDIN@ MACHINES Konin Aoki, Higashi-Suiniyoshi-lm, salia, lapan, assigner to Eaiwa Boschi Kabushilii Keisha, Osaka, Japan, a corporation of Japan Filed Sept. 11, 1961, Ser. No. 137,082 Claims priority, application Japan, Sept. 12, 1969, S/38,288; Oct. 1, 1960, 35i/46,597; Ang. l, 1961,

This invention relates to improvements in carding machines.

Heretofore, in the conventional carding machine the material iibers fed from the feed roller were taken by the lickerin and separated of their short bers and foreign matters contained therein such as dust, pieces of seed, etc. by means of the centrifugal force induced by the rotation of the licher-in and by gravity, following which the short fibers and foreign matters by falling to the bottom were removed. On the other hand, the spinnable fibers, i.e. the long iibers, carried on the licher-in were taken by the wire-clothing surface of the carding cylinder which rotates contiguously to said licher-in, and thus were carded.

However, since in such a carding machine the mechanism of the licker-in part was of a construction in which the emphasis was on its action in opening the fibers fed from the feed roller and in preventing the long iibers from falling out, although the loss of the long bers was small, there was the tendency to prevent the falling out of the foreign matters even at a sacrifice of a part of the cleaning action of the foreign matters. Therefore, the foreign matters 'without having been completely removed remain on the licher-in and are transferred to the carding cylinder where they increase the carding load between the wirecloth or the saw tooth wire of the carding cylinder vand the wire-cloth or the saw tooth wire of the revolving flats as to lower the carding effects as well as to hinder the drafting operation of the operations that succeed on account of the foreign matters that will still remain in the slivers. Thus the lowering in the quality of the product was unavoidable.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a carding machine in which the speed at which the liclterin rotates can be raised so as to enhance the opening capacity without however the attendance of a loss in the long fibers.

Another object of the invention is to provide a carding machine in which is installed below the carding cylinder at a point close to the licher-in a means which, during the opening operations, not only removes from within the fibers the lighter foreignrnatters but also at the same time recovers the spinnable libers; and also in which the heavier foreign matters can be separated and removed by centrifugal force and gravity.

The carding machine of the present invention is made up as follows: It consists of a feed table and a feed roller disposed thereabove for feeding the material fibers, at least one liclier-in provided adjacent the feed table and a carding cylinder disposed on the opposite side from the feed table with the periphery of said lieker-in and that of the carding cylinder being adjacent to each other. An upper casing covers the upper part of the licher-in as well as a part of the upper part of the adjacently disposed carding cylinder, while below the licker-in there is provided an air chamber enclosed with four walls and having an air inlet in the 'wall next to the feed table. And below the carding cylinder at a point close to the licher-in there is provided a perforated cylinder positioned as to be capable of rotation in contiguity to the carding cylinder but spaced with an interval from said licker-in. Within the perforated cylinder is provided a suction compartment whose aisazis Patented Feb. 16, 1955 opening is directed to open towards a place at least other than that where said perforated cylinder and the carding cylinder come adjacent to each other. And the position of the perforated cylinder relative to the air chamber is such that at least air can be drawn thereinto.

Therefore, when the carding machine of the present invention is operated the relatively heavier components of the foreign matters contained in the fed material iibers are removed as they break through the layer of air stream llowing below the licher-in by means of the centrifugal force induced by the rotation of the licker-in and by gravity and fall to the bottom. On the other hand, the components consisting of such as the opened fibers and the relatively lighter foreign matters, for example,k minute dusts, etc. iloat in said air stream and being conveyed thereby are drawn to the opening of the suction cornpartment of the perforated cylinder provided below the carding cylinder in a position nearer to the licker-in, Here, the long fibers are caught on the periphery of the perforated cylinder while the minute dusts and short fibers,v being drawn into the suction compartment, are exhausted by a suction means.

For a better understanding of the invention, it will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. l is a sectional view of the essentialV parts of an embodiment of the present invention;

FG. 2 is' a sectional view taken on line II-Il of FIG. l; Y

FIGS. 3 to lO are sectional views each illustrating other embodiments of the invention. In the'drawings, like reference characters refer to like parts.

The carding machine of the present invention shown n in FG. l, as is the case with the known carding machines, has a licker-in 3 disposed contiguously to a feed table 1 to which top is mounted a feed roller 2. And at the side of the licher-in 3 opposite from said feed table l there is provided a carding cylinder 4 disposed so that it rotates with its periphery in contiguity to that of the licher-in. Above the carding cylinder 4 whose periphery 'is clothed with a saw tooth wire or a wire-cloth Lia there are usually provided revolving iiats (not shown) whose peripheries are similarly clothed with wire-cloths orjsaw tooth wires, and the carding cylinder 4 and the revolving flats are so disposed with respect to each other that they rotate in contiguity to each other` 1 As shown in FIG. l, the licher-in 3 ofthe carding machine of the present invention has the whole of its periphery clothed with a saw tooth wire 3a, and an upper casing 5 covers the upper part of the licker-in 3 as well as a part of the carding cylinder' 4 adjacent thereto. And

the licher-in 3 at least at its underside `faces an air chamber 6 which, except that it has an opening 7 for the in flow of air in its front wall 6a i.e., the wall nearest to the feed table 1, and that they upper part of its rear wall 6b is incised as to allow a rotatable perforated cylinder 8 to face towards the inside of the'air chamber 6, is substantially closed from the outside by being enclosed withfour walls. f

The perforated cylinder 8 is provided below the carding cylinder 4 near the licher-in 3 and is so positioned that although it is spaced with an interval from the licker-in 3, it is capable of rotating while in contiguity to the F carding cylinder 4. And, as already described, at least a part of it, excepting that part adjacent the carding cylinder 4, faces towards the inside of the air chamber 6. Within this rotatableperforated cylinder S there is provided a suction compartment 9, an opening 9a of which opens towards that part where the perforated cylinder 3 faces towards the inside of the air chamber 6. Although not shown in the figure, the suction compartment is connected with a suitable suction means by which the s Y l air'inside the suction compartment 9 is exhausted to the outside. adjacent the inner periphery of the perforated extending acrossthe entire width thereof.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a suction mechanism cylinder',

' of the perforated cylinder S of FIG. 1 and a mechanism fr adjusting the position at which the opening 9a vof thesuction compartment 9 opens,y Y n In PIG. 2 the two endsof the perforated cylinder S are Vjournaledin the frame 20,. 2), by means of ball bearings 21, 21, and' a'pulley 22 is secured to one of the,v ends thereof. B'y'driving this pulley 2 2 with a Vbelt the perforated cylinder 8 is-rotated.' The endsof the'suction compartment 9 are journaled in ,the ends of thev perforated ylinder 8. Atoneend of the suction vcompartment 9 that protrudes a little from the end of the perforated cylinder 8 a handle k23 is secured. By meansV of thishandle 23 the suction'compartment 9'can be turned lThe suction compartment 9 moreover opens caesars Y Y Y 4 Y According to the embodiment of FIG. 3, as the moteknife 30 is disposed under therlicker-in 3, the air stream containing the foreign matters and short fibers as well Y as spinnable fibers is'deflected downwards abruptly as to foreign matters contained in the material fibers.

through la small angle. Afstud 25 secured to the handle 2,73 extends slidably through` a curved` slotV 24 provided in a plate 27 that is secured to the frame. By tighteninga nut26 that is threaded to the stud 25 the handleV 23 can be -iiXed at an Yoptional position within the limits of the slot24. Hence, eventhoug'h 'the perforated cylinderv rotates, the suction compartment does not rotate but' remains stationary. i y n When the'carding machine illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is operated, the material fibers that have been fed/from betweenthe feed table 1 and the feed roller 2 are immediately taken by the sawltooth wire 3a of the liciern 3 asto result ina greater part of thespinnable fibers be! ing transferred to the saw tooth Vwire-4a of thev lcarding "cylinder '4 Whilein, a state as caught on said Asawv tooth 1 wire 3a, but, on the other hand, the foreign mattersand the short fibers as well-as a part of the spinnable fibers p which are present within the material Vfibers leave the Y,

7 of .thefrontV wall 6d pf said lairy chamber 6 and along Y the underside of the lickerin3to be drawn into the suction cor'npartme'ntl 9'withinrth'e'perforated cylinder 8, only the/.relatively -'heavierforeign matters break through thel air stream anddrop to the bottom of the air-,chambery 6, Whereas vthe relativelylight foreign matters and the short fibers as well as the spinnable'bers,whileitioating in the air stream, arrive at the suction part oftheg'perforated cylinder .v Here, the minute foreignVr matters and :the

shortbers by passing through the numerous perforations 8a of 'said 'perforated'cylinder' 8 are exhausted to the outside'of the machine bythe suction means. V On vt'he'other hand, the spinnable bers whose ber 'length V*is relatively'long get caught-on the periphery of the peri foratedxcylinder 8 'from'which'as a` result ofthe rotation 4 y of the perforated cylinder V8V they are thenV taken off by the saw toothwire 4a'of the cardirng cylinder 4 where,

after being combinedl with the ,spinnable vfibers .that

Y have'been directly transferred from thelicker-in 3, as already described hereinbefore, they are carded. Y As described hereinabove, the cleaning eliiciencyof the carding machine of the invention that is shown in FG. l

yis very excellent.' Accordingly, since the speedat which the liclger-in 3 and the carding cylinder 4 rotate can be increased Vcommensurately, the carding capacity increases,y

and moreover, a loss inthe spinnable bers is small. r

"The embodiment illustrated in FIG, y 3 is identical' to that of the hereinabove-described carding machine 'as shown in FIG. 1, exceptv for .the fact that a mote-knife 3(7), is disposed under the licker-in 3V spaced from the n vrperiphery thereof with an interval suiiicient for the passage ofthe bers.

make possible the removal of the relatively heavier foreign 'matters much more effectively than -in the instance ofthe embodiment shown in FIG. 1.v

The cleaning eihciency at the underside of the licher-in 3 is naturally related to such as the intensity and thickness of thek air stream layer, and it is preferred that adjustments Vbe made of the intensity of the air stream and its thickness Vin accordance with thetypes and proportions of For this purpose, it is advantageous to provide a damper (not shown) in the openingy '7 of the front wall da of the air chamber 6, or to provide for the regulation of the suction .force of the suction means, or also make it possible to Yvarythe shape, size, etc. of the mote-knife 3d.

FIG. 4 illustrates a carding machine that differs still further from the hereinbefore-described embodiments.

In this embodiment the rear wall 6b of the air chamber 6 is disposed somewhat more to the front than 1n the case' of that shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. In this instance, the upperl part of the rear Wall 6b forms an under casing 4h that covers thev underside of thel licker-in 3 spaced with an interval therefrom. k"lfhe'underside of the carding cylinder 4 at that part Ybelowrwhere itandV the licher-in 3 come Y adjacent to each other is'also'covered with an under casing the'air that 'en'tersfr'om the opening 7 in the front wall'a! i 41 that isA spaced with a :small interval fromsaidcarding `cylinder 4.

VIn a part of the undercasingti of the licke'r-in 3 a duct in FIG; 4 the construction isl such that theV air inside the suctionY compartment 9 is drawn by meansof vranexhaust fan 45 Via a ductv 44. v v

' When the carding machine shown Vin FIG. 4 is operated,

yof the air chamberl flows along the underside of the licit= rer-in 3,'.and after passing between the underside ofthe"v 4 licher-inY 1"r and the under casing 40, and thence `through the duct'42as y.well as the numerous kperforations 8a of the perforated cylinder 8 enters the suction compartment 9, following which it is Yexhausted to the outside in`consequence'rof the operation of the exhaust fan 45. The operation in this instance is substantially'the same as described in connection with the embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

' However, in the carding machine of FIG. 4, by adjusting such'as the ,length that the joint portion 4G projects into the air chamber 6 andtheextent of the bowtherebelow as well as the angle that .the tip of the undercasing 4tlfopens with respect to the'licker-in 3 it becomes possible to lregulate such as the Vdetiection and convergence -be `haviorsof the air stream forward of said joint portion 40' y and the intensity of the air stream depending on the various yconditions such as the'types and proportions of the foreign,

matters contained in the material fibers, etc. Moreover, in the embodiment shown in FIG.r 4, since there is provided a saw tooth wire 43 on the outer periphery ofthe perforated cylinder 8the spinnable fibers get caught on the saw tooth wire 43;'thus` not only is there-no possibility that the Vperforations Sa would become clogged, but also thetransfer of the spinn'ablre iibers to the carding cylinder 4 is elfectedfsmoothly. Y Y

The carding machine of the invention illustrated in FIG. 5 is of a constructior'i Vcompletely identical to that shown in FIG. r4, except that a'mote-knife 30 is provided below thev licker-in 3 as inthe instance of that shown in FIG. 3;l

f and further a damper Sti is provided in the side wall of the ductV 42. 1 Y

This carding machine has, besides the advantages of the dreams its cleaning efficiency becomes still greater, because the air that has entered from the opening 7 of the front wall 6a is deflected at two places in the air chamber 6, i.e., at the mote-knife 30 and at a point forward of the joint portion 49'; but also that the intensity of the air stream flowing along the underside of the licker-in 3 can be regulated by operating the damper 50 provided in a side wall of the duct 42.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6J a hinged plate 60 which constitutes a part of the under casing of the licker-in 3 is hinged to the rim portion 61 of the opening of the duct 42. And to this hinged plate 66 there is attached a sliding plate 62 of angular section as to be slidable with respect to said hinged plate 6b by suitable means such as, for example, a stud with a winged nut 63. Further, to the bottom of the sliding plate 62 an elastic sheet 64 such as, for example, a rubber or a synthetic resin sheet, is so attached that its bottom edge reaches the floor of the air chamber 6. Thus, by means of the lower part 62h of the sliding plate 62 and the elastic sheet 64 the rear wall of the air chamber 6 is constituted. And to the lower part 62h of the sliding plate 62 is secured a projecting piece 65 to a part of which is attached a lever 66 that is pivoted by a pin 67.

Therefore, when the lever 66 is turned, the sliding plate 62 either rises or falls, and with the rim portion 61 of the duct 42 as the pivot the fore part of the under casing which is constituted by combining the sliding plate 62 and the upper part 62a of the sliding plate 62 turns thereby adjusting the angle of spread of this under casing with respect to the underside of the licher-in 3. In addition, by manipulation of the winged nut 63 the length that the sliding plate 62 projects beyond the hinged plate 6i) is adjusted.

Thus, in the carding machine shown in FIG. 6, it is possible to adjust the under casing constituted of the hinged plate 6d and upper part 62o of the sliding plate 62 as to the angle that it makes with respect to the underside of the licher-in 3 as well as its length. By elfecting these adjustments not only can an air stream of optimum intensity be set up below the licher-in 3 depending upon such as the types and proportions of the foreign matters as well as the rate at which short fibers are contained in the material fibers, but the angle of deflection of the air stream forward of the projecting end 62e of the sliding plate 62 can also be controlled for achieving optimum cleaning elliciency.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the underside of the licker-in 3 at a part thereof nearer to the carding cylinder 4 is covered with an under casing 71 spaced with a slight interval from the periphery of said licher-in 3, the tip of the under casing 71 being connected to a mote-knife 72. And still further below said under casing '71 and in contiguity to the carding cylinder 4 there is provided the perforated cylinder 8. The underside of the carding cylinder 4 at that part nearer to the licker-in 3, excepting the part where the perforated cylinder S cornes adjacent thereto, is covered with an under casing 73 spaced therefrom with a slight interval.

As in the case of the various embodiments described hereinbefore, the perforated cylinder 3 is provided within it a suction compartment Si which opens toward a suitable direction other than where said perforated cylinder 8 and the carding cylinder 4- come adjacent to each other.

Hence, when the carding machine illustrated in FIG. 7 is operated, the material fibers that are fed from between the feed table 1 and the feed roller 2 are immediately taken by the saw tooth wire 3a of the licker-in 3, and a greater part of the spinnable fibers in the state as caught on the saw tooth wire 3a are transferred to the carding cylinder 4. On the other hand, the foreign matter, short fibers as well as a part of the spinnable fibers which fall out as a result of the raking off action of the saw tooth wire 3a oat in the air stream flowing in from the opening 7 of the front wall 6a, and after first being deflected at s, the mote-knife 72 proceed towards the perforated cylinder 8. Hence, during this time the relatively heavier foreign matter fall out to the floor of the air chamber 6 chiefly when the air stream is deflected at the mote-knife 72. On the other hand, the minute foreign matter and short bers pass through the perforations 8a of the perforated cylinder 3 and enter the suction compartment 9, following which they are exhausted to the outside of the machine. However the spinnable fibers get caught on the perforated cylinder 8 and due to its rotation are then taken by the saw tooth wire da of the carding cylinder 4 where `they are carded after having been combined with the spinnable fibers that have been transferred to the carding cylinder 4 directly from the licker-in 3.

FIGS. 8a and 8b illustrate another embodiment of the perforated cylinder S that may be used instead of that shown in FIG. 7. That shown in FIG. 8a is exactly identical to the perforated cylinder 8 shown in FIG. 7, except that a saw tooth wire 81 is provided around its periphery; while that of FIG. 8b is provided with both a suction compartment 9 and an air discharge compartment SZ inside the perforated cylinder tl, and by installing the perforated cylinder 8 to the carding machine of FIG. 7 so that the opening 83 of the air discharge compartment faces the carding cylinder 4 the transfer of the spinnable bers deposited on the perforated cylinder 8 to the carding cylinder 4 is carried out in a much smoother manner.

The use of this perforated cylinder 8 shown in FIGS. 8a and 8b moreover is not limited in its use with the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 but can be installed in any of the other embodiments described herein.

The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 9 is of identical construction as the carding machine described with reference to FIG. 7, except that instead of the mote-knife the tip of the under casing 71 is bent back for purpose of reinforcement, and that the under casing of the perforated cylinder S which at its tip has a sliding plate 92. attached slidably thereto is hinged at its base 91 and projects somewhat in an upward direction.

Thus, in the carding machine shown in FIG. 9, as it is possible to adjust the length of the sliding plate 92, the angle of deflection of the air stream forward of the sliding plate 92 can be controlled. As for the other functions, they are substantially the same as that of the carding machine shown in FIG. 7.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. l0 there is interposed between the liclrer-in 3 and the carding cylinder 4 a second licker-in 134). The undersides of the licker-in 3 and the second licker-in are covered with an under casing 71. And from a certain point on this under casing 71 there extends a cowl 101 that covers the top of the perforated cylinder 8. At the fore part of the under casing 1&2 of the perforated cylinder 8 there is provided as to be slidable a sliding plate 104 similar to the sliding plate 62 shown in FIG. 6. And to the lower part itl-lb of the sliding plate 104 is attached an elastic sheet 1%5 that extends downwards as to contact the floor of the air chamber 6. Thus the rear wall of the air chamber 6 is constituted by means of the lower part 1Mb of the sliding plate 164 and the elastic sheet 195. Again, as the under casing 1432 is hinged at its base 103, it is rotatable. Also, while not shown in the drawings, to the lower part 1li-lb of the sliding plate 164 a mechanism for raising or lowering it is attached as in FIG. 6, and similarly a stud with a winged nut as in the same figure is provided at where the upper part 104g of said sliding plate 104 is fitted slidably with the under casing 192.

Therefore, in the carding machine illustrated in FIG. l0, a duct 106 is formed leading towards the opening of the perforated cylinder S by means of the cowl 101, the under casing 102 and the upper part lta of the sliding plate 104. And, by adjusting the rotated position of the under casing 102 and the length of the upper part 1li-ta of the sliding plate 1li-4l the size of the opening 107 of the duct 106 is controlled, thereby controlling the intensity of .While the invention-has been described with reference;v

to several of its principal embodiments, it will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that many changes and modications are possible. However, it is to'be understood that it is intended to cover all such changes and modifica-Y tions so long` as'they do not depart from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Y Y

Having thus described-the invention, what is claimed is:

l. A carding machine comprising a feed table and a feed roller disposedthereabove for feeding the material fibers, at least one licker-in provided adjacent saidrfeed table, a carding cylinder disposed on they side of'said licker-in opposite from said feed table with its periphery -adjacent the periphery of the licker-in, an upper casing covering the upper part of said licker-in and a part of the upper part of the adjacently disposed carding cylinder, an air-chamber enclosed vwith four VWalls provided below said licher-in, said air chamber being provided with an openingfor the linflow of air in its wall nearest to the feed table, a perforated cylinder'disposed below the carding cylinder at a point nearer to the licher-in', said perforated cylinder rotating in contiguity to said carding cylinder but beingrspaced at a denite interval from and out of engag.

ing Contact with said licker-in, said perforated cylinder havingwithin i-t a suction compartment, said suction compartment opening at least at a point other than where said perforated cylinder and said carding ,cylinder come `adjacent to each other, and the position of said perforatedy j cylinder relative to said air chamber being such that said'v Y v Vsuction compartment within the perforated cylinder can draw the air contained in the air chamber.

2. The carding machine as dened in claim 1 in which the underside'of said carding cylinder Vexcept the portion nearer to the perforated cylinder is casing.

` 3'. The carding machine as deiined in claim 1 in which thatvpart of the outer periphery of the perforated cylin-v der opposite that part where said suction compartment opens faces said air chamber directly.V

covered with an under Y ernaar/e- Y mote-knife to the part close to the carding cylinder isV covered with a continuous under casing.

l 4. The cardingrnachine as defined in claim 3 in which a mote-knife is` disposed below [the licker-in spaced there. from with at least an'interval sufficient for passage of the fibers. v

5. y The carding machine as defined in claim 1 in whichk said perforated cylinder and said suctionl compartment Within said perforatedvcylinder being directed to open vis-a-vis saidduct opening at'the end nearer to the. perfor, ated cylinder. v i

6. The carding machine as defined in claim `1 in which at leas-t a part of the underside of the licker-in nearer tothe carding cylinder is covered with an undercasing spaced from said licher-in with an intervalV sufficient for the passage of the hers deposited on the periphery of said lick-in. Y

Y 7. The carding cylinder 'as defined in claim 6 in which the underside of the licker-in Vfrom the part close to the 8. The carding machine as deiined in claim 1 in which the periphery of t eperforated cylinder is clothed with a saw tooth wire. i 'Y 9. The carding machineyas defined in claim 1, in which the underside of the perforated cylinder is covered with an under casing positioned to be spaced from the underside of the perforated cylinder, and one end of the under casing is projected into said air chamber. Y

l0. The carding machine as defined in claim 9 in which said 4third-narned under casing,r is hinged at its base.

11. The carding machine as defined in claim 9 in which asliding plate is provided as to be slidable at the forward portion of said third-named under casing.

Reference'srCited in the file of this patent Y FOREIGN PATENTS 26,723 Great Britain of 1910 186,441 Great Britain Oct. 5, 1922 Y 791,339 Y Great Britain Feb. 26, ,19587 

1. A CARDING MACHINE COMPRISING A FEED TABLE AND A FEED ROLLER DISPOSED THEREABOVE FOR FEEDING THE MATERIAL FIBERS, AT LEAST ONE LICKER-IN PROVIDED ADJACENT SAID FEED TABLE, A CARDING CYLINDER DISPOSED ON THE SIDE OF SAID LICKER-IN OPPOSITE FROM SAID FEED TABLE WITH ITS PERIPHERY ADJACENT THE PERIPHERY OF THE LICKER-IN, AN UPPER CASING COVERING THE UPPER PART OF SAID LICKER-IN AND A PART OF THE UPPER PART OF THE ADJACENTLY DISPOSED CARDING CYLINDER, AN AIR CHAMBER ENCLOSED WITH FOUR WALLS PROVIDED BELOW SAID LICKER-IN, SAID AIR CHAMBER BEING PROVIDED WITH AN OPENING FOR THE INFLOW OF AIR IN ITS WALL NEAREST TO THE FEED TABLE, A PERFORATED CYLINDER DISPOSED BELOW THE CARDING CYLINDER AT A POINT NEARER TO THE LIKER-IN, SAID PERFORATED CYLINDER ROTATING IN CONTIGUITY TO SAID CARDING CYLINDER BUT BEING SPACED AT A DEFINITE INTERVAL FROM AND OUT OF ENGAGING CONTACT WITH SAID LICKER-IN, SAID PERFORATED CYLINDER HAVING WITHIN IT A SUCTION COMPARTMENT, SAID SUCTION COMPARTMENT OPENING AT LEAST AT A POINT OTHER THAN WHERE SAID PERFORATED CYLINDER AND SAID CARDING CYLINDER COME ADJACENT TO EACH OTHER, AND THE POSITION OF SAID PERFORATED CYLINDER RELATIVE TO SAID AIR CHAMBER BEING SUCH THAT SAID SUCTION COMPARTMENT WITHIN THE PERFORATED CYLINDER CAN DRAW THE AIR CONTAINED IN THE AIR CHAMBER. 